Selective server-side execution of client-side scripts

ABSTRACT

An example embodiment may involve receiving, by a web server device and from a client device, a request for web content. The example embodiment may also involve determining, by the web server device, that a web document includes a script containing a synchronous client-side function call matching pre-determined criteria. The web content may be at least in part derivable from the web document. The example embodiment may also involve executing, by the web server device, the synchronous client-side function call to obtain output data. The example embodiment may also involve modifying, by the web server device, the web document to include the output data in a data structure associated with the synchronous client-side function call. The example embodiment may also involve transmitting, by the web server device and to the client device, the web document as modified.

BACKGROUND

Web transactions may involve a web server device transmitting a webdocument to a client device. The web document may be formatted inaccordance with a markup language, such as the HyperText Markup Language(HTML). The web document may define static content and how this staticcontent should be presented on a web page rendered by the client device.In some cases, parts of the web page are not known until the webdocument is about to be transmitted to the client device or after thistransmission takes place. Therefore, markup languages may also supportdynamic content through embedded client-side scripts. These scripts maybe delivered to the client device as part of the web document, and maybe executed by a web browser on the client device. Such execution mayresult in the client device carrying out function calls, some of whichmay cause the client device to transmit requests for and receive thedynamic content from the web server device or other devices. In thisfashion, dynamic content can be combined with the static content of theweb document, facilitating more flexibility in the types of informationthat can be provided to client devices.

Nonetheless, client-side scripting may subject the overall webtransaction to additional latency. Each time the client device executesa script that involves retrieving dynamic content over a network, theclient device may wait for this content to arrive before it can beincorporated into the rendered web page. This delay may involve around-trip time (RTT) of network propagation delay between the clientdevice and the device providing the information, as well as processingdelay at the latter device. Further, some client-side architecturesblock on such client-side requests (i.e., the client-side applicationwaits for each request to complete before performing other requests orother operations), resulting in these requests being carried outserially. As a consequence, users may become frustrated with the amountof time that they have to wait for web content to load, while serverdevices are subjected to the overhead of serving multiple client-siderequests per web document.

SUMMARY

The embodiments herein allow a web server device to selectively executeclient-side scripts instead of requiring that the client device do so.Particularly, the web server device may identify client-side scriptsembedded in a web document before transmitting the web document to theclient device. For client-side scripts that match certain pre-determinedcriteria (e.g., the scripts contain one or more function calls thatwould result in the client device making a request to the web serverdevice), the web server device may perform the operations of thefunction call itself. In this way, the resulting information can beembedded into the web document, and the client device does not have toexecute the function call. Consequently, client-side processing occursmore rapidly, as the web browser does not have to wait for the functioncall to return. Also, there is less of a computational burden on the webserver device, as it can perform the function call directly rather thanhaving to process the overhead of an additional request from the clientdevice.

While the discussion herein focuses on synchronous function calls, thedisclosed embodiments may operate on asynchronous function calls or anyother type of function call.

Accordingly, a first example embodiment may involve receiving, by a webserver device and from a client device, a request for web content. Thefirst example embodiment may also involve determining, by the web serverdevice, that a web document includes a script containing a synchronousclient-side function call matching pre-determined criteria. The webcontent may be at least in part derivable from the web document. Thefirst example embodiment may also involve executing, by the web serverdevice, the synchronous client-side function call to obtain output data.The first example embodiment may also involve modifying, by the webserver device, the web document to include the output data in a datastructure associated with the synchronous client-side function call. Thefirst example embodiment may also involve transmitting, by the webserver device and to the client device, the web document as modified.

A second example embodiment may involve transmitting, by a client deviceand to a web server device, a request for web content. The secondexample embodiment may also involve receiving, by the client device andfrom the web server device, a web document, wherein the web content isderivable at least in part from the web document. The second exampleembodiment may also involve determining, by the client device, that theweb document includes a script containing a synchronous client-sidefunction call, the output of which is contained within a data structureincluded in the web document. The second example embodiment may alsoinvolve generating, by the client device, the web content from the webdocument. The output of the synchronous client-side function call may beused in the web content instead of the client device executing thesynchronous client-side function call. The second example embodiment mayalso involve rendering, by the client device and on a display unit ofthe client device, the web content.

In a third example embodiment, an article of manufacture may include anon-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon programinstructions that, upon execution by a computing system, cause thecomputing system to perform operations in accordance with the firstand/or second example embodiment.

In a fourth example embodiment, a computing system may include at leastone processor, as well as memory and program instructions. The programinstructions may be stored in the memory, and upon execution by the atleast one processor, cause the computing system to perform operations inaccordance with the first and/or second example embodiment.

In a fifth example embodiment, a system may include various means forcarrying out each of the operations of the first and/or second exampleembodiment.

These as well as other embodiments, aspects, advantages, andalternatives will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artby reading the following detailed description, with reference whereappropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, this summary andother descriptions and figures provided herein are intended toillustrate embodiments by way of example only and, as such, thatnumerous variations are possible. For instance, structural elements andprocess steps can be rearranged, combined, distributed, eliminated, orotherwise changed, while remaining within the scope of the embodimentsas claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic drawing of a computing device, inaccordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic drawing of a server device cluster, inaccordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a remote network management architecture, in accordancewith example embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a communication environment involving a remote networkmanagement architecture, in accordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 5A depicts another communication environment involving a remotenetwork management architecture, in accordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 5B is a flow chart, in accordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a message flow diagram, in accordance with exampleembodiments.

FIG. 7A is a message flow diagram, in accordance with exampleembodiments.

FIG. 7B is a modified client-side script, in accordance with exampleembodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart, in accordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart, in accordance with example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example methods, devices, and systems are described herein. It should beunderstood that the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein tomean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodimentor feature described herein as being an “example” or “exemplary” is notnecessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otherembodiments or features unless stated as such. Thus, other embodimentscan be utilized and other changes can be made without departing from thescope of the subject matter presented herein.

Accordingly, the example embodiments described herein are not meant tobe limiting. It will be readily understood that the aspects of thepresent disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated inthe figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations. For example, theseparation of features into “client” and “server” components may occurin a number of ways.

Further, unless context suggests otherwise, the features illustrated ineach of the figures may be used in combination with one another. Thus,the figures should be generally viewed as component aspects of one ormore overall embodiments, with the understanding that not allillustrated features are necessary for each embodiment.

Additionally, any enumeration of elements, blocks, or steps in thisspecification or the claims is for purposes of clarity. Thus, suchenumeration should not be interpreted to require or imply that theseelements, blocks, or steps adhere to a particular arrangement or arecarried out in a particular order.

I. Introduction

A large enterprise is a complex entity with many interrelatedoperations. Some of these are found across the enterprise, such as humanresources (HR), supply chain, information technology (IT), and finance.However, each enterprise also has its own unique operations that provideessential capabilities and/or create competitive advantages.

To support widely-implemented operations, enterprises typically useoff-the-shelf software applications, such as customer relationshipmanagement (CRM) and human capital management (HCM) packages. However,they may also need custom software applications to meet their own uniquerequirements. A large enterprise often has dozens or hundreds of thesecustom software applications. Nonetheless, the advantages provided bythe embodiments herein are not limited to large enterprises and may beapplicable to an enterprise, or any other type of organization, of anysize.

Many such software applications are developed by individual departmentswithin the enterprise. These range from simple spreadsheets tocustom-built software tools and databases. But the proliferation ofsiloed custom software applications has numerous disadvantages. Itnegatively impacts an enterprise's ability to run and grow its business,innovate, and meet regulatory requirements. The enterprise may find itdifficult to integrate, streamline and enhance its operations due tolack of a single system that unifies its subsystems and data.

To efficiently create custom applications, enterprises would benefitfrom a remotely-hosted application platform that eliminates unnecessarydevelopment complexity. The goal of such a platform would be to reducetime-consuming, repetitive application development tasks so thatsoftware engineers and individuals in other roles can focus ondeveloping unique, high-value features.

In order to achieve this goal, the concept of Application Platform as aService (aPaaS) is introduced, to intelligently automate workflowsthroughout the enterprise. An aPaaS system is hosted remotely from theenterprise, but may access data and services within the enterprise byway of secure connections. Such an aPaaS system may have a number ofadvantageous capabilities and characteristics. These advantages andcharacteristics may be able to improve the enterprise's operations andworkflow for IT, HR, CRM, customer service, application development, andsecurity.

The aPaaS system may support development and execution ofmodel-view-controller (MVC) applications. MVC applications divide theirfunctionality into three interconnected parts (model, view, andcontroller) in order to isolate representations of information from themanner in which the information is presented to the user, therebyallowing for efficient code reuse and parallel development. Theseapplications may be web-based, and offer create, read, update, delete(CRUD) capabilities. This allows new applications to be built on acommon application infrastructure.

The aPaaS system may support standardized application components, suchas a standardized set of widgets for graphical user interface (GUI)development. In this way, applications built using the aPaaS system havea common look and feel. Other software components and modules may bestandardized as well. In some cases, this look and feel can be brandedor skinned with an enterprise's custom logos and/or color schemes.

The aPaaS system may support the ability to configure the behavior ofapplications using metadata. This allows application behaviors to berapidly adapted to meet specific needs. Such an approach reducesdevelopment time and increases flexibility. Further, the aPaaS systemmay support GUI tools that facilitate metadata creation and management,thus reducing errors in the metadata.

The aPaaS system may support clearly-defined interfaces betweenapplications, so that software developers can avoid unwantedinter-application dependencies. Thus, the aPaaS system may implement aservice layer in which persistent state information and other data isstored.

The aPaaS system may support a rich set of integration features so thatthe applications thereon can interact with legacy applications andthird-party applications. For instance, the aPaaS system may support acustom employee-onboarding system that integrates with legacy HR, IT,and accounting systems.

The aPaaS system may support enterprise-grade security. Furthermore,since the aPaaS system may be remotely hosted, it should also utilizesecurity procedures when it interacts with systems in the enterprise orthird-party networks and services hosted outside of the enterprise. Forexample, the aPaaS system may be configured to share data amongst theenterprise and other parties to detect and identify common securitythreats.

Other features, functionality, and advantages of an aPaaS system mayexist. This description is for purpose of example and is not intended tobe limiting.

As an example of the aPaaS development process, a software developer maybe tasked to create a new application using the aPaaS system. First, thedeveloper may define the data model, which specifies the types of datathat the application uses and the relationships therebetween. Then, viaa GUI of the aPaaS system, the developer enters (e.g., uploads) the datamodel. The aPaaS system automatically creates all of the correspondingdatabase tables, fields, and relationships, which can then be accessedvia an object-oriented services layer.

In addition, the aPaaS system can also build a fully-functional MVCapplication with client-side interfaces and server-side CRUD logic. Thisgenerated application may serve as the basis of further development forthe user. Advantageously, the developer does not have to spend a largeamount of time on basic application functionality. Further, since theapplication may be web-based, it can be accessed from anyInternet-enabled client device. Alternatively or additionally, a localcopy of the application may be able to be accessed, for instance, whenInternet service is not available.

The aPaaS system may also support a rich set of pre-definedfunctionality that can be added to applications. These features includesupport for searching, email, templating, workflow design, reporting,analytics, social media, scripting, mobile-friendly output, andcustomized GUIs.

The following embodiments describe architectural and functional aspectsof example aPaaS systems, as well as the features and advantagesthereof.

II. Example Computing Devices and Cloud-Based Computing Environments

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram exemplifying a computing device100, illustrating some of the components that could be included in acomputing device arranged to operate in accordance with the embodimentsherein. Computing device 100 could be a client device (e.g., a deviceactively operated by a user), a server device (e.g., a device thatprovides computational services to client devices), or some other typeof computational platform. Some server devices may operate as clientdevices from time to time in order to perform particular operations.

In this example, computing device 100 includes processor(s) 102(referred to as “processor 102” for sake of simplicity), memory 104,network interface(s) 106, and an input/output unit 108, all of which maybe coupled by a system bus 110 or a similar mechanism. In someembodiments, computing device 100 may include other components and/orperipheral devices (e.g., detachable storage, printers, and so on).

Processor 102 may be any type of computer processing unit, such as acentral processing unit (CPU), a co-processor (e.g., a mathematics,graphics, or encryption co-processor), a digital signal processor (DSP),a network processor, and/or a form of integrated circuit or controllerthat performs processor operations. In some cases, processor 102 may bea single-core processor, and in other cases, processor 102 may be amulti-core processor with multiple independent processing units.Processor 102 may also include register memory for temporarily storinginstructions being executed and related data, as well as cache memoryfor temporarily storing recently-used instructions and data.

Memory 104 may be any form of computer-usable memory, including but notlimited to register memory and cache memory (which may be incorporatedinto processor 102), as well as random access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), and non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard diskdrives, solid state drives, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs(DVDs), and/or tape storage). Other types of memory may includebiological memory.

Memory 104 may store program instructions and/or data on which programinstructions may operate. By way of example, memory 104 may store theseprogram instructions on a non-transitory, computer-readable medium, suchthat the instructions are executable by processor 102 to carry out anyof the methods, processes, or operations disclosed in this specificationor the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, memory 104 may include firmware 104A, kernel 104B,and/or applications 104C. Firmware 104A may be program code used to bootor otherwise initiate some or all of computing device 100. Kernel 104Bmay be an operating system, including modules for memory management,scheduling and management of processes, input/output, and communication.Kernel 104B may also include device drivers that allow the operatingsystem to communicate with the hardware modules (e.g., memory units,networking interfaces, ports, and busses), of computing device 100.Applications 104C may be one or more user-space software programs, suchas web browsers or email clients, as well as any software libraries usedby these programs.

Network interface(s) 106 may take the form of a wireline interface, suchas Ethernet (e.g., Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and so on). Networkinterface(s) 106 may also support communication over non-Ethernet media,such as coaxial cables or power lines, or over wide-area media, such asSynchronous Optical Networking (SONET) or digital subscriber line (DSL)technologies. Network interface(s) 106 may also take the form of awireless interface, such as IEEE 802.11 (Wifi), BLUETOOTH®, globalpositioning system (GPS), or a wide-area wireless interface. However,other forms of physical layer interfaces and other types of standard orproprietary communication protocols may be used over networkinterface(s) 106. Furthermore, network interface(s) 106 may comprisemultiple physical interfaces. For instance, some embodiments ofcomputing device 100 may include Ethernet, BLUETOOTH®, and Wifiinterfaces.

Input/output unit 108 may facilitate user and peripheral deviceinteraction with example computing device 100. Input/output unit 108 mayinclude one or more types of input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse,a touch screen, and so on. Similarly, input/output unit 108 may includeone or more types of output devices, such as a screen, monitor, printer,and/or one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). Additionally oralternatively, computing device 100 may communicate with other devicesusing a universal serial bus (USB) or high-definition multimediainterface (HDMI) port interface, for example.

In some embodiments, one or more instances of computing device 100 maybe deployed to support an aPaaS architecture. The exact physicallocation, connectivity, and configuration of these computing devices maybe unknown and/or unimportant to client devices. Accordingly, thecomputing devices may be referred to as “cloud-based” devices that maybe housed at various remote data center locations.

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud-based server cluster 200 in accordance withexample embodiments. In FIG. 2, operations of a computing device (e.g.,computing device 100) may be distributed between server devices 202,data storage 204, and routers 206, all of which may be connected bylocal cluster network 208. The number of server devices 202, datastorages 204, and routers 206 in server cluster 200 may depend on thecomputing task(s) and/or applications assigned to server cluster 200.

For example, server devices 202 can be configured to perform variouscomputing tasks of computing device 100. Thus, computing tasks can bedistributed among one or more of server devices 202. To the extent thatthese computing tasks can be performed in parallel, such a distributionof tasks may reduce the total time to complete these tasks and return aresult. For purpose of simplicity, both server cluster 200 andindividual server devices 202 may be referred to as a “server device.”This nomenclature should be understood to imply that one or moredistinct server devices, data storage devices, and cluster routers maybe involved in server device operations.

Data storage 204 may be data storage arrays that include drive arraycontrollers configured to manage read and write access to groups of harddisk drives and/or solid state drives. The drive array controllers,alone or in conjunction with server devices 202, may also be configuredto manage backup or redundant copies of the data stored in data storage204 to protect against drive failures or other types of failures thatprevent one or more of server devices 202 from accessing units ofcluster data storage 204. Other types of memory aside from drives may beused.

Routers 206 may include networking equipment configured to provideinternal and external communications for server cluster 200. Forexample, routers 206 may include one or more packet-switching and/orrouting devices (including switches and/or gateways) configured toprovide (i) network communications between server devices 202 and datastorage 204 via cluster network 208, and/or (ii) network communicationsbetween the server cluster 200 and other devices via communication link210 to network 212.

Additionally, the configuration of cluster routers 206 can be based atleast in part on the data communication requirements of server devices202 and data storage 204, the latency and throughput of the localcluster network 208, the latency, throughput, and cost of communicationlink 210, and/or other factors that may contribute to the cost, speed,fault-tolerance, resiliency, efficiency and/or other design goals of thesystem architecture.

As a possible example, data storage 204 may include any form ofdatabase, such as a structured query language (SQL) database. Varioustypes of data structures may store the information in such a database,including but not limited to tables, arrays, lists, trees, and tuples.Furthermore, any databases in data storage 204 may be monolithic ordistributed across multiple physical devices.

Server devices 202 may be configured to transmit data to and receivedata from cluster data storage 204. This transmission and retrieval maytake the form of SQL queries or other types of database queries, and theoutput of such queries, respectively. Additional text, images, video,and/or audio may be included as well. Furthermore, server devices 202may organize the received data into web page representations. Such arepresentation may take the form of a markup language, such as thehypertext markup language (HTML), the extensible markup language (XML),or some other standardized or proprietary format. Moreover, serverdevices 202 may have the capability of executing various types ofcomputerized scripting languages, such as but not limited to Perl,Python, PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP),JavaScript, and so on. Computer program code written in these languagesmay facilitate the providing of web pages to client devices, as well asclient device interaction with the web pages.

III. Example Remote Network Management Architecture

FIG. 3 depicts a remote network management architecture, in accordancewith example embodiments. This architecture includes three maincomponents, managed network 300, remote network management platform 320,and third-party networks 340, all connected by way of Internet 350.

Managed network 300 may be, for example, an enterprise network used by abusiness for computing and communications tasks, as well as storage ofdata. Thus, managed network 300 may include various client devices 302,server devices 304, routers 306, virtual machines 308, firewall 310,and/or proxy servers 312. Client devices 302 may be embodied bycomputing device 100, server devices 304 may be embodied by computingdevice 100 or server cluster 200, and routers 306 may be any type ofrouter, switch, or gateway.

Virtual machines 308 may be embodied by one or more of computing device100 or server cluster 200. In general, a virtual machine is an emulationof a computing system, and mimics the functionality (e.g., processor,memory, and communication resources) of a physical computer. Onephysical computing system, such as server cluster 200, may support up tothousands of individual virtual machines. In some embodiments, virtualmachines 308 may be managed by a centralized server device orapplication that facilitates allocation of physical computing resourcesto individual virtual machines, as well as performance and errorreporting. Enterprises often employ virtual machines in order toallocate computing resources in an efficient, as needed fashion.Providers of virtualized computing systems include VMWARE® andMICROSOFT®.

Firewall 310 may be one or more specialized routers or server devicesthat protect managed network 300 from unauthorized attempts to accessthe devices and services therein, while allowing authorizedcommunication that is initiated from managed network 300. Firewall 310may also provide intrusion detection, web filtering, virus scanning,application-layer gateways, and other services. In some embodiments notshown in FIG. 3, managed network 300 may include one or more virtualprivate network (VPN) gateways with which it communicates with remotenetwork management platform 320 (see below).

Managed network 300 may also include one or more proxy servers 312. Anembodiment of proxy servers 312 may be a server device that facilitatescommunication and movement of data between managed network 300, remotenetwork management platform 320, and third-party networks 340. Inparticular, proxy servers 312 may be able to establish and maintainsecure communication sessions with one or more customer instances ofremote network management platform 320. By way of such a session, remotenetwork management platform 320 may be able to discover and manageaspects of the architecture and configuration of managed network 300 andits components. Possibly with the assistance of proxy servers 312,remote network management platform 320 may also be able to discover andmanage aspects of third-party networks 340 that are used by managednetwork 300.

Firewalls, such as firewall 310, typically deny all communicationsessions that are incoming by way of Internet 350, unless such a sessionwas ultimately initiated from behind the firewall (i.e., from a deviceon managed network 300) or the firewall has been explicitly configuredto support the session. By placing proxy servers 312 behind firewall 310(e.g., within managed network 300 and protected by firewall 310), proxyservers 312 may be able to initiate these communication sessions throughfirewall 310. Thus, firewall 310 might not have to be specificallyconfigured to support incoming sessions from remote network managementplatform 320, thereby avoiding potential security risks to managednetwork 300.

In some cases, managed network 300 may consist of a few devices and asmall number of networks. In other deployments, managed network 300 mayspan multiple physical locations and include hundreds of networks andhundreds of thousands of devices. Thus, the architecture depicted inFIG. 3 is capable of scaling up or down by orders of magnitude.

Furthermore, depending on the size, architecture, and connectivity ofmanaged network 300, a varying number of proxy servers 312 may bedeployed therein. For example, each one of proxy servers 312 may beresponsible for communicating with remote network management platform320 regarding a portion of managed network 300. Alternatively oradditionally, sets of two or more proxy servers may be assigned to sucha portion of managed network 300 for purposes of load balancing,redundancy, and/or high availability.

Remote network management platform 320 is a hosted environment thatprovides aPaaS services to users, particularly to the operators ofmanaged network 300. These services may take the form of web-basedportals, for instance. Thus, a user can securely access remote networkmanagement platform 320 from, for instance, client devices 302, orpotentially from a client device outside of managed network 300. By wayof the web-based portals, users may design, test, and deployapplications, generate reports, view analytics, and perform other tasks.

As shown in FIG. 3, remote network management platform 320 includes fourcustomer instances 322, 324, 326, and 328. Each of these instances mayrepresent a set of web portals, services, and applications (e.g., awholly-functioning aPaaS system) available to a particular customer. Insome cases, a single customer may use multiple customer instances. Forexample, managed network 300 may be an enterprise customer of remotenetwork management platform 320, and may use customer instances 322,324, and 326. The reason for providing multiple instances to onecustomer is that the customer may wish to independently develop, test,and deploy its applications and services. Thus, customer instance 322may be dedicated to application development related to managed network300, customer instance 324 may be dedicated to testing theseapplications, and customer instance 326 may be dedicated to the liveoperation of tested applications and services.

The multi-instance architecture of remote network management platform320 is in contrast to conventional multi-tenant architectures, overwhich multi-instance architectures have several advantages. Inmulti-tenant architectures, data from different customers (e.g.,enterprises) are comingled in a single database. While these customers'data are separate from one another, the separation is enforced by thesoftware that operates the single database. As a consequence, a securitybreach in this system may impact all customers' data, creatingadditional risk, especially for entities subject to governmental,healthcare, and/or financial regulation. Furthermore, any databaseoperations that impact one customer will likely impact all customerssharing that database. Thus, if there is an outage due to hardware orsoftware errors, this outage affects all such customers. Likewise, ifthe database is to be upgraded to meet the needs of one customer, itwill be unavailable to all customers during the upgrade process. Often,such maintenance windows will be long, due to the size of the shareddatabase

In contrast, the multi-instance architecture provides each customer withits own database in a dedicated computing instance. This preventscomingling of customer data, and allows each instance to beindependently managed. For example, when one customer's instanceexperiences an outage due to errors or an upgrade, other customerinstances are not impacted. Maintenance down time is limited because thedatabase only contains one customer's data. Further, the simpler designof the multi-instance architecture allows redundant copies of eachcustomer database and instance to be deployed in a geographicallydiverse fashion. This facilitates high availability, where the liveversion of the customer's instance can be moved when faults are detectedor maintenance is being performed.

In order to support multiple customer instances in an efficient fashion,remote network management platform 320 may implement a plurality ofthese instances on a single hardware platform. For example, when theaPaaS system is implemented on a server cluster such as server cluster200, it may operate a virtual machine that dedicates varying amounts ofcomputational, storage, and communication resources to instances. Butfull virtualization of server cluster 200 might not be necessary, andother mechanisms may be used to separate instances. In some examples,each instance may have a dedicated account and one or more dedicateddatabases on server cluster 200. Alternatively, customer instance 322may span multiple physical devices.

In some cases, a single server cluster of remote network managementplatform 320 may support multiple independent enterprises. Furthermore,as described below, remote network management platform 320 may includemultiple server clusters deployed in geographically diverse data centersin order to facilitate load balancing, redundancy, and/or highavailability.

Third-party networks 340 may be remote server devices (e.g., a pluralityof server clusters such as server cluster 200) that can be used foroutsourced computational, data storage, communication, and servicehosting operations. These servers may be virtualized (i.e., the serversmay be virtual machines). Examples of third-party networks 340 mayinclude AMAZON WEB SERVICES® and MICROSOFT® Azure. Like remote networkmanagement platform 320, multiple server clusters supporting third-partynetworks 340 may be deployed at geographically diverse locations forpurposes of load balancing, redundancy, and/or high availability.

Managed network 300 may use one or more of third-party networks 340 todeploy services to its clients and customers. For instance, if managednetwork 300 provides online music streaming services, third-partynetworks 340 may store the music files and provide web interface andstreaming capabilities. In this way, the enterprise of managed network300 does not have to build and maintain its own servers for theseoperations.

Remote network management platform 320 may include modules thatintegrate with third-party networks 340 to expose virtual machines andmanaged services therein to managed network 300. The modules may allowusers to request virtual resources and provide flexible reporting forthird-party networks 340. In order to establish this functionality, auser from managed network 300 might first establish an account withthird-party networks 340, and request a set of associated resources.Then, the user may enter the account information into the appropriatemodules of remote network management platform 320. These modules maythen automatically discover the manageable resources in the account, andalso provide reports related to usage, performance, and billing.

Internet 350 may represent a portion of the global Internet. However,Internet 350 may alternatively represent a different type of network,such as a private wide-area or local-area packet-switched network.

FIG. 4 further illustrates the communication environment between managednetwork 300 and customer instance 322, and introduces additionalfeatures and alternative embodiments. In FIG. 4, customer instance 322is replicated across data centers 400A and 400B. These data centers maybe geographically distant from one another, perhaps in different citiesor different countries. Each data center includes support equipment thatfacilitates communication with managed network 300, as well as remoteusers.

In data center 400A, network traffic to and from external devices flowseither through VPN gateway 402A or firewall 404A. VPN gateway 402A maybe peered with VPN gateway 412 of managed network 300 by way of asecurity protocol such as Internet Protocol Security (IPSEC). Firewall404A may be configured to allow access from authorized users, such asuser 414 and remote user 416, and to deny access to unauthorized users.By way of firewall 404A, these users may access customer instance 322,and possibly other customer instances. Load balancer 406A may be used todistribute traffic amongst one or more physical or virtual serverdevices that host customer instance 322. Load balancer 406A may simplifyuser access by hiding the internal configuration of data center 400A,(e.g., customer instance 322) from client devices. For instance, ifcustomer instance 322 includes multiple physical or virtual computingdevices that share access to multiple databases, load balancer 406A maydistribute network traffic and processing tasks across these computingdevices and databases so that no one computing device or database issignificantly busier than the others. In some embodiments, customerinstance 322 may include VPN gateway 402A, firewall 404A, and loadbalancer 406A.

Data center 400B may include its own versions of the components in datacenter 400A. Thus, VPN gateway 402B, firewall 404B, and load balancer406B may perform the same or similar operations as VPN gateway 402A,firewall 404A, and load balancer 406A, respectively. Further, by way ofreal-time or near-real-time database replication and/or otheroperations, customer instance 322 may exist simultaneously in datacenters 400A and 400B.

Data centers 400A and 400B as shown in FIG. 4 may facilitate redundancyand high availability. In the configuration of FIG. 4, data center 400Ais active and data center 400B is passive. Thus, data center 400A isserving all traffic to and from managed network 300, while the versionof customer instance 322 in data center 400B is being updated innear-real-time. Other configurations, such as one in which both datacenters are active, may be supported.

Should data center 400A fail in some fashion or otherwise becomeunavailable to users, data center 400B can take over as the active datacenter. For example, domain name system (DNS) servers that associate adomain name of customer instance 322 with one or more Internet Protocol(IP) addresses of data center 400A may re-associate the domain name withone or more IP addresses of data center 400B. After this re-associationcompletes (which may take less than one second or several seconds),users may access customer instance 322 by way of data center 400B.

FIG. 4 also illustrates a possible configuration of managed network 300.As noted above, proxy servers 312 and user 414 may access customerinstance 322 through firewall 310. Proxy servers 312 may also accessconfiguration items 410. In FIG. 4, configuration items 410 may refer toany or all of client devices 302, server devices 304, routers 306, andvirtual machines 308, any applications, programs, or services executingthereon, as well as relationships between devices and services. Thus,the term “configuration items” may be shorthand for any physical orvirtual device or service remotely discoverable or managed by customerinstance 322, or relationships between discovered devices and services.Configuration items may be represented in a configuration managementdatabase (CMDB) of customer instance 322.

As noted above, VPN gateway 412 may provide a dedicated VPN to VPNgateway 402A. Such a VPN may be helpful when there is a significantamount of traffic between managed network 300 and customer instance 322,or security policies otherwise suggest or require use of a VPN betweenthese sites. In some embodiments, any device in managed network 300and/or customer instance 322 that directly communicates via the VPN isassigned a public IP address. Other devices in managed network 300and/or customer instance 322 may be assigned private IP addresses (e.g.,IP addresses selected from the 10.0.0.0-10.255.255.255 or192.168.0.0-192.168.255.255 ranges, represented in shorthand as subnets10.0.0.0/8 and 192.168.0.0/16, respectively).

IV. Example Device and Service Discovery

In order for remote network management platform 320 to administer thedevices and services of managed network 300, remote network managementplatform 320 may first determine what devices are present in managednetwork 300, the configurations and operational statuses of thesedevices, and the services provided by the devices, and well as therelationships between discovered devices and services. As noted above,each device, service, and relationship may be referred to as aconfiguration item. The process of defining configuration items withinmanaged network 300 is referred to as discovery, and may be facilitatedat least in part by proxy servers 312.

For purpose of the embodiments herein, a “service” may refer to aprocess, thread, application, program, server, or any other softwarethat executes on a device. A “service” may also refer to a high-levelcapability provided by multiple processes, threads, applications,programs, and/or servers on one or more devices working in conjunctionwith one another. For example, a high-level web service may involvemultiple web application server threads executing on one device andaccessing information from a database service that executes on anotherdevice. The distinction between different types or levels of servicesmay depend upon the context in which they are presented.

FIG. 5A provides a logical depiction of how configuration items can bediscovered, as well as how information related to discoveredconfiguration items can be stored. For sake of simplicity, remotenetwork management platform 320, third-party networks 340, and Internet350 are not shown.

In FIG. 5A, CMDB 500 and task list 502 are stored within customerinstance 322. Customer instance 322 may transmit discovery commands toproxy servers 312. In response, proxy servers 312 may transmit probes tovarious devices and services in managed network 300. These devices andservices may transmit responses to proxy servers 312, and proxy servers312 may then provide information regarding discovered configurationitems to CMDB 500 for storage therein. Configuration items stored inCMDB 500 represent the environment of managed network 300.

Task list 502 represents a list of activities that proxy servers 312 areto perform on behalf of customer instance 322. As discovery takes place,task list 502 is populated. Proxy servers 312 repeatedly query task list502, obtain the next task therein, and perform this task until task list502 is empty or another stopping condition has been reached.

To facilitate discovery, proxy servers 312 may be configured withinformation regarding one or more subnets in managed network 300 thatare reachable by way of proxy servers 312. For instance, proxy servers312 may be given the IP address range 192.168.0/24 as a subnet. Then,customer instance 322 may store this information in CMDB 500 and placetasks in task list 502 for discovery of devices at each of theseaddresses.

FIG. 5A also depicts devices and services in managed network 300 asconfiguration items 504, 506, 508, 510, and 512. As noted above, theseconfiguration items represent a set of physical and/or virtual devices(e.g., client devices, server devices, routers, or virtual machines),services executing thereon (e.g., web servers, email servers, databases,or storage arrays), relationships therebetween, as well as higher-levelservices that involve multiple individual configuration items.

Placing the tasks in task list 502 may trigger or otherwise cause proxyservers 312 to begin discovery. Alternatively or additionally, discoverymay be manually triggered or automatically triggered based on triggeringevents (e.g., discovery may automatically begin once per day at aparticular time).

In general, discovery may proceed in four logical phases: scanning,classification, identification, and exploration. Each phase of discoveryinvolves various types of probe messages being transmitted by proxyservers 312 to one or more devices in managed network 300. The responsesto these probes may be received and processed by proxy servers 312, andrepresentations thereof may be transmitted to CMDB 500. Thus, each phasecan result in more configuration items being discovered and stored inCMDB 500.

In the scanning phase, proxy servers 312 may probe each IP address inthe specified range of IP addresses for open Transmission ControlProtocol (TCP) and/or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports to determinethe general type of device. The presence of such open ports at an IPaddress may indicate that a particular application is operating on thedevice that is assigned the IP address, which in turn may identify theoperating system used by the device. For example, if TCP port 135 isopen, then the device is likely executing a WINDOWS® operating system.Similarly, if TCP port 22 is open, then the device is likely executing aUNIX® operating system, such as LINUX®. If UDP port 161 is open, thenthe device may be able to be further identified through the SimpleNetwork Management Protocol (SNMP). Other possibilities exist. Once thepresence of a device at a particular IP address and its open ports havebeen discovered, these configuration items are saved in CMDB 500.

In the classification phase, proxy servers 312 may further probe eachdiscovered device to determine the version of its operating system. Theprobes used for a particular device are based on information gatheredabout the devices during the scanning phase. For example, if a device isfound with TCP port 22 open, a set of UNIX®-specific probes may be used.Likewise, if a device is found with TCP port 135 open, a set ofWINDOWS®-specific probes may be used. For either case, an appropriateset of tasks may be placed in task list 502 for proxy servers 312 tocarry out. These tasks may result in proxy servers 312 logging on, orotherwise accessing information from the particular device. Forinstance, if TCP port 22 is open, proxy servers 312 may be instructed toinitiate a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to the particular device andobtain information about the operating system thereon from particularlocations in the file system. Based on this information, the operatingsystem may be determined. As an example, a UNIX® device with TCP port 22open may be classified as AIX®, HPUX, LINUX®, MACOS®, or SOLARIS®. Thisclassification information may be stored as one or more configurationitems in CMDB 500.

In the identification phase, proxy servers 312 may determine specificdetails about a classified device. The probes used during this phase maybe based on information gathered about the particular devices during theclassification phase. For example, if a device was classified as LINUX®,as a set of LINUX®-specific probes may be used. Likewise if a device wasclassified as WINDOWS® 2012, as a set of WINDOWS®-2012-specific probesmay be used. As was the case for the classification phase, anappropriate set of tasks may be placed in task list 502 for proxyservers 312 to carry out. These tasks may result in proxy servers 312reading information from the particular device, such as basicinput/output system (BIOS) information, serial numbers, networkinterface information, media access control address(es) assigned tothese network interface(s), IP address(es) used by the particular deviceand so on. This identification information may be stored as one or moreconfiguration items in CMDB 500.

In the exploration phase, proxy servers 312 may determine furtherdetails about the operational state of a classified device. The probesused during this phase may be based on information gathered about theparticular devices during the classification phase and/or theidentification phase. Again, an appropriate set of tasks may be placedin task list 502 for proxy servers 312 to carry out. These tasks mayresult in proxy servers 312 reading additional information from theparticular device, such as processor information, memory information,lists of running processes (services), and so on. Once more, thediscovered information may be stored as one or more configuration itemsin CMDB 500.

Running discovery on a network device, such as a router, may utilizeSNMP. Instead of or in addition to determining a list of runningprocesses or other application-related information, discovery maydetermine additional subnets known to the router and the operationalstate of the router's network interfaces (e.g., active, inactive, queuelength, number of packets dropped, etc.). The IP addresses of theadditional subnets may be candidates for further discovery procedures.Thus, discovery may progress iteratively or recursively.

Once discovery completes, a snapshot representation of each discovereddevice and service is available in CMDB 500. For example, afterdiscovery, operating system version, hardware configuration and networkconfiguration details for client devices, server devices, and routers inmanaged network 300, as well as services executing thereon, may bestored. This collected information may be presented to a user in variousways to allow the user to view the hardware composition and operationalstatus of devices, as well as the characteristics of services.

Furthermore, CMDB 500 may include entries regarding dependencies andrelationships between configuration items. More specifically, anapplication that is executing on a particular server device, as well asthe services that rely on this application, may be represented as suchin CMDB 500. For instance, suppose that a database application isexecuting on a server device, and that this database application is usedby a new employee onboarding service as well as a payroll service. Thus,if the server device is taken out of operation for maintenance, it isclear that the employee onboarding service and payroll service will beimpacted. Likewise, the dependencies and relationships betweenconfiguration items may be able to represent the services impacted whena particular router fails.

In general, dependencies and relationships between configuration itemsbe displayed on a web-based interface and represented in a hierarchicalfashion. Thus, adding, changing, or removing such dependencies andrelationships may be accomplished by way of this interface.

Furthermore, users from managed network 300 may develop workflows thatallow certain coordinated activities to take place across multiplediscovered devices. For instance, an IT workflow might allow the user tochange the common administrator password to all discovered LINUX®devices in single operation.

In order for discovery to take place in the manner described above,proxy servers 312, CMDB 500, and/or one or more credential stores may beconfigured with credentials for one or more of the devices to bediscovered. Credentials may include any type of information needed inorder to access the devices. These may include userid/password pairs,certificates, and so on. In some embodiments, these credentials may bestored in encrypted fields of CMDB 500. Proxy servers 312 may containthe decryption key for the credentials so that proxy servers 312 can usethese credentials to log on to or otherwise access devices beingdiscovered.

The discovery process is depicted as a flow chart in FIG. 5B. At block520, the task list in the customer instance is populated, for instance,with a range of IP addresses. At block 522, the scanning phase takesplace. Thus, the proxy servers probe the IP addresses for devices usingthese IP addresses, and attempt to determine the operating systems thatare executing on these devices. At block 524, the classification phasetakes place. The proxy servers attempt to determine the operating systemversion of the discovered devices. At block 526, the identificationphase takes place. The proxy servers attempt to determine the hardwareand/or software configuration of the discovered devices. At block 528,the exploration phase takes place. The proxy servers attempt todetermine the operational state and services executing on the discovereddevices. At block 530, further editing of the configuration itemsrepresenting the discovered devices and services may take place. Thisediting may be automated and/or manual in nature.

The blocks represented in FIG. 5B are for purpose of example. Discoverymay be a highly configurable procedure that can have more or fewerphases, and the operations of each phase may vary. In some cases, one ormore phases may be customized, or may otherwise deviate from theexemplary descriptions above.

V. Example Web Transactions

Web transactions typically involve a client device transmitting arequest for web content (e.g., a web page) to a web server device. Moreparticularly, a web browser application executing on the client devicemay transmit the request in accordance with the HyperText TransportProtocol (HTTP) to a web server application executing on the web serverdevice. The client device may be exemplified by computing device 100,while the web server device may be exemplified by computing device 100or server cluster 200. However, other possibilities exist.

The request may identify the web content, at least in part, by way of aUniform Resource Locator (URL). The URL may be a character string thatspecifies a particular web document available by way of the web serverdevice. In response to receiving the request, the web server device mayidentify the web document.

The web document may take various forms, one of which is that of an HTMLfile. This file may contain a combination of content (e.g., text anddata), markup (embedded delimiters that specify how the content is to beorganized or displayed), and scripts. With respect to the scripts, thesemay be either server-side or client-side, depending on whether they areintended to be executed by the web server device or the client device.

Server-side scripts may be, for instance, PHP HyperText Preprocessor(PHP) scripts that are executed by the web server device to generateHTML (or other content) that is then embedded in the web document beforethe web server transmits the web document to the client device. PHPscripts may contain function calls to a database so that parts of theweb document can be dynamically generated. The database may reside uponthe web server device or on another device accessible to the web serverdevice.

Client-side scripts, on the other hand, may be snippets of JavaScriptcode that are executed by the client device after the client devicereceives the web document. Depending on their purpose, these scripts maybe executed before or after the web document is rendered by the clientdevice into a web page. In some cases, client-side scripts may beexecuted after the rendering of a web page in order to make the web pagemore dynamic. These scripts may respond to user-based events, suchmouse-click or mouse-over events to assist with page navigation or todisplay additional information on the web page. Client-side scriptinghas led to the concept of a “single-page application,” in which a webdocument contains enough dynamic client-side functionality toeffectively behave like an application.

While client-side scripting was initially intended to distributeprocessing between client devices and web server devices such that theburden on web server devices is reduced, new ways of using client-sidescripts can instead cause the server-side processing burden to beincreased. In particular, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX)technologies allow client-side scripts to make dynamic requests to theweb server device.

As an example, the XMLHttpRequest (XHR) application programminginterface (API) is supported by most web browsers and web servers. XHRallows client-side scripts to dynamically request content from webserver devices so that rendered web pages can be modified. In somecases, a web document may contain a number of client-side scripts that,in combination, include a dozen or more XHR function calls. Each ofthese function calls may involve a separate transaction between theclient device and the web server device. Given that a large number ofXHR function calls can exist in a web document, the number of discreterequests that a web server device is subjected to per web document canbe similarly large. Consequently, this can dramatically increase theprocessing burden on the web server device.

Furthermore, when multiple XHR function calls are made sequentially,these function calls may effectively be synchronous in nature—that is,the client device may be unable to carry out a subsequent function calluntil the current function call completes. This results in web pageloading operations to be slower on the client device, which may lead touser frustration and impatience.

The embodiments herein improve upon the state of the art and overcomethese limitations by allowing a web server device to identify certainXHR-like function calls in client-side scripts. The web server devicemay execute these function calls prior to transmitting the web documentto the client device. After executing these scripts, the web serverdevice embeds the results thereof into a data structure appended to theweb content. Each function call may be associated with a reference intothe data structure that identifies the function call's respectiveresults. Upon receiving the web document, the client device may use eachreference to identify the corresponding section of the data structure,and use the content therein instead of executing the client-side script.

As a result, the communication and computational burden on the webserver device is reduced as the number of transactions per web page isdecreased. Notably, the overhead of executing the client-side scripts onthe web server device prior to transmission of the web document has beenfound to be less than that of the web server device receiving numerousindividual requests resulting from client-side execution. Furthermore,the user experience is improved because the web content can be obtainedand displayed more rapidly.

While the discussion of web transactions herein are generally focused ona client-server model in which a web server device provides a webdocument for rendering and display on a display unit (e.g., a screen) ofa client device, other models are possible. The embodiments herein mayalso be able to improve transactions using web-based protocols even ifthe client device does not render the resulting web content for display.Thus, these embodiments may be applicable to machine-to-machinecommunications, as well as other types of transactions. Furthermore,while the discussion herein focuses on synchronous function calls, thedisclosed embodiments may operate on asynchronous function calls or anyother type of function call.

The aPaaS system described in FIGS. 3-5A may be a particularly suitablecandidate for deploying these embodiments because it may make heavy useof web transactions with client-side scripting. Particularly, one ormore server devices disposed within customer instance 322 may provideweb-based interfaces that allow users in managed network 300 andelsewhere to view the configuration and operational conditions ofmanaged network 300. From this interface, users may be able to triggerdiscovery procedures, view network and device status, and carry outhigher-level procedures (e.g., managing IT, HR, and finance operations).Nonetheless, the embodiments herein may be used to enhance any webtransaction with client-side scripts that make function calls to the webserver device.

To further appreciate the extent of the improvements provided by theseembodiments, FIG. 6 depicts a traditional web transaction withclient-side scripting. In FIG. 6, client device 600 carries out thetransaction with web server device 602.

At step 604, client device 600 may transmit an HTTP request to webserver device 602. The HTTP request may identify an HTML documentaccessible to web server device 602 that contains three synchronousfunction calls to web server device 602. At step 606, web server device602 transmits an HTTP response to client device 600. The HTTP responsemay include the HTML document.

After receiving the HTML document, at step 608 client device 600 mayscan the HTML document for synchronous function calls. This scanning maytake place before or after at least part of the HTML document isrendered for display on client device 600. Regardless of when ithappens, the scanning may result in client device 600 identifying thethree synchronous function calls. In some embodiments, “scanning” mayrefer to identifying relevant function calls during execution of thescript in which they are contained.

As an example, one of these scripts may contain the following code:

<script> function onLoad( ) { console.log(“Caller's name is ” +g_form.getReference(‘caller_id’).name); } </script>

This code is a simplified example of the type of synchronous functioncall that may be embedded in a script. The onLoad( ) function calls theg_form.getReference( ) function, which is a synchronous function call tothe web server device that provided this script. Particularly,g_form.getReference( ) requests a record from a database that isassociated with the caller_id index. Thus, the call tog_form.getReference( ) causes the client device to transmit a requestfor this record to the web server device, and the web server device torespond with the entire record. From this record, the name field isused. The function onLoad( ) also calls the console.log( ) function,which in turn is configured to write output from theg_form.getReference( ) call to a web browser's console.

At step 610, client device 600 may execute the first synchronousfunction call (“synchronous call 1”). In doing so, client device 600 maytransmit a request for further content to web server device 602. Inresponse to receiving this request, web server device 602 may obtain therequested content (e.g., from a database). At step 612, web serverdevice 602 may provide this content (“results from synchronous call 1”)to client device 600. Client device 600 may then render the content aspart of any web page rendered from the HTML document. Alternatively,client device may wait until further synchronous function calls completebefore rendering the content.

Similar procedures may be carried out for the second synchronousfunction call (“synchronous call 2”) and the third synchronous functioncall (“synchronous call 3”). Particularly, at step 614, client device600 may execute the second synchronous function call and transmit arequest for further content to web server device 602. At step 616, webserver device 602 may provide this content (“results from synchronouscall 2”) to client device 600. At step 618, client device 600 mayexecute the third synchronous function call and transmit a request forfurther content to web server device 602. At step 620, web server device602 may provide this content (“results from synchronous call 3”) toclient device 600.

At step 622, client device 600 render at least part of a web page basedon the HTML document and the additional content retrieved during steps610-620. As noted above, some of this web page may have been renderedpreviously.

FIG. 6 illustrates some of the drawbacks associated with client-sidescripts that make function calls to a web server device. To obtain allof the necessary content, client device 600 and web server device 602undertake four separate transactions. Further, client device 600 carriesout these transactions sequentially, causing final rendering of the webpage to be slower than it otherwise could be. For example, if the RTTbetween client device 600 and web server device 602 is 75 milliseconds,there will be 300 milliseconds of delay associated with the overallprocedure of FIG. 6 before any processing latency of web server device602 is taken into account.

In order to overcome these limitations, embodiments in accordance withFIG. 7A may be deployed. At step 700, client device 600 may transmit anHTTP request to server device 602. This may be analogous to the HTTPrequest of step 604. Thus, the HTTP request may identify an HTMLdocument accessible to web server device 602 that contains threesynchronous function calls to web server device 602.

At step 702, web server device 602 may obtain this document. At step704, web server device 602 may scan this document to identify certainsynchronous function calls therein. This scanning may take place as thedocument is being compiled or after document compilation (to the extentthat it occurs) is completed. Notably, web server device 602 may attemptto identify synchronous function calls matching one or more criteria.

For instance, the synchronous function calls that web server device 602may scan for may be a particular function call, a particular type offunction call, or function calls matching a particular function callsignature. A particular function call may be, for example, theg_form.getReference( ) function call discussed above. A particular typeof function call may include a family or set of related function callsthat all involve transmitting synchronous requests to web server device602. For either of a particular function call or a particular type offunction call, web server device 602 may be pre-configured withdefinitions matching these criteria. For a particular function callsignature, the criteria may include the general format of the functioncall as well as the form or content of its parameters. As an example, aregular expression could be used to define a function call format thatmatches the criteria. In all of these cases, web server 602 may seek toidentify client-side function calls that it can execute, as defined bythe criteria.

In any event, at step 704, web server device 602 finds three synchronousfunction calls in the HTML document. At steps 706, 708, and 710,respectively, web server device 602 executes these function calls. Atstep 712, web server device 602 includes the results of these functioncalls in the HTML document, thus modifying this document.

At step 714, web server device 602 transmits the modified HTML documentto client device 600, as an HTTP response to the HTTP request of step700. At step 716, client device 600 may render a web page based on themodified HTML document. To do so, client device 600 may use the resultsof the function calls as included in the modified HTML document in placeof executing these function calls.

FIG. 7B provides a simplified example of a modified HTML document. Thisdocument is abbreviated to just include a script. The actual modifiedHTML document may contain HTML markup, content, and other scripts.Particularly, the onLoad( ) function 722 is the same as that of theexample above, and is in the original HTML document. Web server device602 may have added the declaration 720 of theg_event_handlers_localCache variable, as well as the assignment 724 tothe caller_id index of this variable.

Particularly, after web server device 602 identifies theg_form.getReference( ) function as matching the criteria for server-sideexecution, web server device 602 adds declaration 720 to the HTMLdocument, executes the g_form.getReference( ) function to obtain itsoutput, and places this output in assignment 724 as a series ofkey-value pairs.

After client device 600 receives the modified HTML document, clientdevice 600 executes onLoad( ) function 722. As a consequence, clientdevice 600 also executes the g_form.getReference( ) function. But inthis scenario, as part of executing this function, client device 602 isconfigured to look for declaration 720. If it exists, then client device602 looks in assignment 724 (because this assignment is indexed by thecaller_id value that is passed as a parameter to theg_form.getReference( ) function). Specifically, client device 602dereferences the name key, which is associated with the value “JoeEmployee”. The latter is used as output for the g_form.getReference( )function.

In some embodiments, until the web page is fully rendered, client device600 may continue to use assignment 724 in place of making additionalsynchronous function calls to web server device 602. Once the web pageis fully rendered, client device 600 may delete or otherwise invalidateassignment 724 to limit the risk of future synchronous function callsobtaining stale data therefrom. This invalidation may occur afterexpiration of a pre-defined time period, such as one or more seconds orminutes from the completion of rendering.

VI. Example Operations

FIGS. 8 and 9 are flow charts illustrating example embodiments. Theprocesses illustrated by FIGS. 8 and 9 may be carried out by a computingdevice, such as computing device 100, and/or a cluster of computingdevices, such as server cluster 200. However, the processes can becarried out by other types of devices or device subsystems. For example,the processes could be carried out by a portable computer, such as alaptop or a tablet device.

The embodiments of FIGS. 8 and 9 may be simplified by the removal of anyone or more of the features shown therein. Further, these embodimentsmay be combined with features, aspects, and/or implementations of any ofthe previous figures or otherwise described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates embodiments from the perspective of a web serverdevice. Accordingly, block 800 may involve receiving, from a clientdevice, a request for web content. The request for web content mayidentify a URL associated with a web document. The web content may be atleast in part derivable from the web document. The web document may bein a HTML format.

Block 802 may involve, possibly in response to receiving the request forthe web content, determining that the web document includes a scriptcontaining a synchronous client-side function call matchingpre-determined criteria. The pre-determined criteria may be that thesynchronous client-side function call has a particular name.Alternatively or additionally, the pre-determined criteria may be thatthe synchronous client-side function call represents a request for databy way of the web server device.

Block 804 may involve executing the synchronous client-side functioncall to obtain output data. Executing the synchronous client-sidefunction call to obtain the output data may involve requesting andreceiving the output data from a database device and/or retrieving theoutput data from a filesystem of the web server device.

Block 806 may involve modifying the web document to include the outputdata in a data structure associated with the synchronous client-sidefunction call. This modifying of the web document may involve appendingthe data structure to the beginning or end of the web document, oranywhere else within the web document. Particularly, the data structuremay be an array of content, and the modifying the web document mayinvolve placing the output data at a particular location within the datastructure. The particular location may be referenced by the synchronousclient-side function call (e.g., as a parameter passed into the functioncall).

Block 808 may involve transmitting, to the client device, the webdocument as modified. Reception of the web document as modified maycause the client device to render, on a display unit of the clientdevice, the web content based on the web document as modified withoutcarrying out the synchronous client-side function call to retrieve theoutput data from the web server device.

FIG. 9 illustrates embodiments from the perspective of a client device.Accordingly, block 900 may involve transmitting, to a web server device,a request for web content. The request for web content may identify aURL associated with a web document. The web content may be derivable atleast in part from the web document. The web document may be in an HTMLformat.

Block 902 may involve receiving, from the web server device, the webdocument. Block 904 may involve determining that the web documentincludes a script containing a synchronous client-side function call,the output of which is contained within a data structure included in theweb document. The data structure may be appended to the beginning or endof the web document, or anywhere else within the web document.

Block 906 may involve generating the web content from the web document.The output of the synchronous client-side function call may be used inthe web content instead of the client device executing the synchronousclient-side function call. The data structure may be an array ofcontent. Thus, generating the web content from the web document mayinvolve using the index to locate the output data in the array, andrepresenting the output data in the web content.

Block 908 may involve rendering, on a display unit of the client device,the web content. The web content may be in the form of a web page. Insome embodiments, once the web page is fully rendered, the client devicemay delete or otherwise invalidate the output data.

VII. Conclusion

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particularembodiments described in this application, which are intended asillustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations canbe made without departing from its scope, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuseswithin the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those describedherein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoingdescriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

The above detailed description describes various features and operationsof the disclosed systems, devices, and methods with reference to theaccompanying figures. The example embodiments described herein and inthe figures are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments can beutilized, and other changes can be made, without departing from thescope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readilyunderstood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generallydescribed herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged,substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety ofdifferent configurations.

With respect to any or all of the message flow diagrams, scenarios, andflow charts in the figures and as discussed herein, each step, block,and/or communication can represent a processing of information and/or atransmission of information in accordance with example embodiments.Alternative embodiments are included within the scope of these exampleembodiments. In these alternative embodiments, for example, operationsdescribed as steps, blocks, transmissions, communications, requests,responses, and/or messages can be executed out of order from that shownor discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order,depending on the functionality involved. Further, more or fewer blocksand/or operations can be used with any of the message flow diagrams,scenarios, and flow charts discussed herein, and these message flowdiagrams, scenarios, and flow charts can be combined with one another,in part or in whole.

A step or block that represents a processing of information cancorrespond to circuitry that can be configured to perform the specificlogical functions of a herein-described method or technique.Alternatively or additionally, a step or block that represents aprocessing of information can correspond to a module, a segment, or aportion of program code (including related data). The program code caninclude one or more instructions executable by a processor forimplementing specific logical operations or actions in the method ortechnique. The program code and/or related data can be stored on anytype of computer readable medium such as a storage device including RAM,a disk drive, a solid state drive, or another storage medium.

The computer readable medium can also include non-transitory computerreadable media such as computer readable media that store data for shortperiods of time like register memory and processor cache. The computerreadable media can further include non-transitory computer readablemedia that store program code and/or data for longer periods of time.Thus, the computer readable media may include secondary or persistentlong term storage, like ROM, optical or magnetic disks, solid statedrives, compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. Thecomputer readable media can also be any other volatile or non-volatilestorage systems. A computer readable medium can be considered a computerreadable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device.

Moreover, a step or block that represents one or more informationtransmissions can correspond to information transmissions betweensoftware and/or hardware modules in the same physical device. However,other information transmissions can be between software modules and/orhardware modules in different physical devices.

The particular arrangements shown in the figures should not be viewed aslimiting. It should be understood that other embodiments can includemore or less of each element shown in a given figure. Further, some ofthe illustrated elements can be combined or omitted. Yet further, anexample embodiment can include elements that are not illustrated in thefigures.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, otheraspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purpose ofillustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scopebeing indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising steps performed in thefollowing order: receiving, by a web server device from a client device,a request for web content; in response to receiving the request for theweb content, scanning, by the web server device, a web document todetermine that the web document includes any scripts comprising anysynchronous client-side function calls configured to cause the clientdevice to send subsequent requests, via the synchronous client-sidefunction calls, for data from the web server device after the webdocument is sent to the client device, wherein the web content is atleast in part derivable from the web document; executing, by the webserver device, the synchronous client-side function calls to obtainoutput data by using an assignment in place of sending the subsequentrequests; modifying, by the web server device, the web document toinclude the output data in a data structure associated with thesynchronous client-side function calls, wherein the data structurecomprises an array of content, wherein the assignment is invalidated inresponse to the web document being modified to include the output datato limit future synchronous calls from obtaining non-relevantinformation, and wherein the invalidation occurs after expiration of atime period from completion of rendering activity, and wherein modifyingthe web document comprises: appending the data structure to the webdocument; and placing the output data at a particular location withinthe data structure, wherein the particular location is referenced by thesynchronous client-side function calls; and transmitting, by the webserver device to the client device, the web document after the webdocument has been modified based at least in part on the scanning of theweb document.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for webcontent identifies a uniform resource locator associated with the webdocument.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that theweb document includes any scripts comprising any synchronous client-sidefunction calls configured to cause the client device to send thesubsequent requests comprises determining that the synchronousclient-side function calls comprise a particular name.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the determination that the web document includes anyscripts comprising any synchronous client-side function calls configuredto cause the client device to send the subsequent requests comprisesdetermining that the synchronous client-side function calls comprise arequest for data by way of the web server device.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the web document is in a HyperText Markup Language format. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein executing the synchronous client-sidefunction calls to obtain the output data comprises requesting andreceiving the output data from a database device.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein executing the synchronous client-side function calls toobtain the output data comprises retrieving the output data from a filesystem of the web server device.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinreception of the web document as modified causes the client device torender, on a display unit of the client device, the web content based onthe web document as modified without carrying out the synchronousclient-side function calls to retrieve the output data from the webserver device.
 9. A method comprising steps performed in the followingorder: transmitting, by a client device to a web server device, arequest for web content; receiving, by the client device from the webserver device, a web document modified by the web server device using anassignment in place of sending subsequent requests, via synchronousclient-side function calls, for data from the web server device afterthe web document is received by the client device, wherein the webcontent is derivable at least in part from the web document;determining, by the client device, that the web document includes ascript containing the synchronous client-side function calls configuredto cause the client device to send the subsequent requests, wherein anoutput of the synchronous client-side function calls is within a datastructure in the web document so that the client device does nottransmit the subsequent requests, wherein the data structure comprisesan array of content, wherein the output is received from the web serverdevice due to the web server device pre-scanning the web document beforesending the web document to the client device, and wherein theassignment is invalidated in response to the web document being modifiedto include the output to limit future synchronous calls from obtainingnon-relevant information, and wherein the invalidation occurs afterexpiration of a time period from completion of rendering activity, andwherein modifying the web document comprises: appending the datastructure to the web document; and placing the output at a particularlocation within the data structure, wherein the particular location isreferenced by the synchronous client-side function calls; generating, bythe client device, the web content from the web document, wherein theoutput of the synchronous client-side function calls is used in the webcontent instead of the client device executing the synchronousclient-side function calls due to the pre-scanning of the web documentby the web server device; and rendering, by the client device on adisplay unit of the client device, the web content.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the data structure is appended to a beginning or an endof the web document.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the datastructure comprises the output of the synchronous client-side functioncalls stored at an index into the array, and wherein generating the webcontent from the web document comprises: using the index to locate theoutput in the array; and representing the output in the web content. 12.The method of claim 9, wherein the request for web content identifies auniform resource locator associated with the web document.
 13. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the web document is in a HyperText MarkupLanguage format.
 14. A computing system comprising: one or moreprocessors: memory storing web content; and program instructions, storedin the memory, that upon execution by the one or more processors causethe computing system to perform operations comprising steps performed inthe following order: receiving, from a client device, a request for theweb content; in response to receiving the request for the web content,scanning a web document to determine that the web document comprises anyscripts containing synchronous client-side function calls configured tocause the client device to send subsequent requests, via the synchronousclient-side function calls, for data after the web document is sent tothe client device, wherein the web content is at least in part derivablefrom the web document; executing the synchronous client-side functioncalls to obtain output data by using an assignment in place sending thesubsequent requests; modifying the web document to include the outputdata in a data structure associated with the synchronous client-sidefunction calls, wherein the data structure comprises an array ofcontent, wherein the assignment is invalidated in response to the webdocument being modified to include the output data to limit futuresynchronous calls from obtaining non-relevant information, and whereinthe invalidation occurs after expiration of a time period fromcompletion of rendering activity, and wherein modifying the web documentcomprises: appending the data structure to the web document; and placingthe output data at a particular location within the data structure,wherein the particular location is referenced by the synchronousclient-side function calls; and transmitting, to the client device, theweb document after the web document has been modified based at least inpart on the scanning of the web document.
 15. The computing system ofclaim 14, wherein the determination that the web document includes anyscripts comprising any synchronous client-side function calls configuredto cause the client device to send the subsequent requests comprisesdetermining that the synchronous client-side function calls comprise aparticular name.
 16. The computing system of claim 14, wherein thedetermination that the web document includes any scripts comprising anysynchronous client-side function calls configured to cause the clientdevice to send the subsequent requests comprises determining that thesynchronous client-side function calls comprise a request for data byway of the one or more processors executing the program instructions.17. The computing system of claim 14, wherein appending the datastructure to the web document comprises appending the data structure tothe beginning or end of the web document.
 18. The method of claim 1,wherein appending the data structure to the web document comprisesappending the data structure to a beginning or an end of the webdocument.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period is at leastone of seconds or minutes.
 20. The computing system of claim 14, whereinthe time period is at least one of seconds or minutes.